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Rivian electric cars will have Amazon Alexa integration

Rivian's R1T electric pickup truck on display at Amazon's re:MARS event. | Image: Amazon/reMARS (Twitter)

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Rivian’s appearance at Amazon’s re:MARS tech conference in Las Vegas last week has unveiled a new connection between the two companies via Alexa, the online mega retailer’s digital assistant. Rivian’s all-electric R1T pickup truck was shown integrated with Alexa’s smart home functionality to allow voice commands for its electronic features.

In a video published by the official re:MARS Twitter account, Rivian team member Christian Hubbell is seen demonstrating a voice command on the R1T.

“Alexa, open the hood,” he dictates into a remote device, explaining “what it’s gonna do is invoke our smart home function. It’s gonna open the front hood, and then we’re gonna be able to put [in] any groceries, packs, gear, you name it.” While Hubbell is describing the Alexa command function, the R1T hood is seen opening in the background, as instructed.

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https://twitter.com/AmazonreMARS/status/1138136470466768904

Amazon’s re:MARS 2019 event is an information and networking conference focused on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and other related Earth and space technologies, including self-driving. This is the event’s first year and took place June 4-7 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Rivian’s attendance at re:MARS was announced by the event’s official Twitter account, and ‘#alexaauto’ was tagged in the message, indicating the startup’s vehicles might be integrated with Alexa technology. This indication now seems to be a definite possibility based on the video demo. “What happens when you combine a thirst for adventure with automotive tech and AI? Meet the world’s first Electric Adventure Vehicle at #reMARS to find out,” the announcement tweet said while featuring the R1T on a road trip to Sedona and utilizing the truck’s recently unveiled kitchen module.

At this time, it’s unclear what Rivian’s integration with Amazon’s digital assistant will be aside from voice command functionality. The R1T truck was demonstrated at the LA and New York International Auto Shows to have numerous electronic features that would be candidates for the Alexa feature. In addition to the hood/frunk open and close function, the pickup truck’s tailgate has 180 degree mobility, the suspension can be raised and lowered as needed, and the glass roof is electrochromatic for changing colors in response to outside weather and light conditions, all operated electronically. Both the R1T and the R1S SUV are slated for production and delivery late next year.

Overall, although details are still limited regarding Rivian’s final tech offerings in its production R1T truck and R1S SUV, the opportunities and potential features are promising. In the case of Amazon, who led a $700 million dollar investment into the electric car maker in February, Rivian’s re:MARS demos and any future technology sharing would seem to be a mutually beneficial endeavor for the two companies. Perhaps more sharing is in the works with other Amazon investments such as Aurora, a self-driving startup, whose goal is to support a range of manufacturers and transportation networks with its independent software. Rivian’s vehicles will have Level 2 autonomous driving hardware installed, upgradable to Level 3 via over-the-air updates once available.

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Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Roadster is ‘sorcery and magic’ and might be worth the wait, Uber founder says

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

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tesla roadster
Credit: Praveen Joseph/Twitter

Tesla is planning to unveil the Roadster in late April after years of waiting. But the wait might be worth it, according to Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber, who recently shed some light on his expectations for the all-electric supercar.

We all know the Roadster is supposed to have some serious capability. CEO Elon Musk has said on numerous occasions that the Roadster will be unlike anything else ever produced. It might go from 0-60 MPH in about a second, it might hover, it might have SpaceX cold gas thrusters.

However, the constant delays in the Roadster program and its unveiling event continue to send Tesla fans into confusion because they’re just not sure when, or if, they’ll ever see the finished product.

Perhaps the wait will be worth it, especially according to Uber founder Travis Kalanick, who recently teased the Roadster’s potential capabilities based on what he has heard from internal Tesla sources.

Kalanick said on X:

Musk has said this vehicle is not going to be geared for safety, and that, “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.”

There has been so much hype regarding the Roadster that it is hard to believe the company could not come through on some kind of crazy features for the vehicle.

Elon Musk just dropped a huge detail on the Tesla Roadster

However, the latest delay that Tesla put on the unveiling event is definitely eye-opening, especially considering it is the latest in a series of pushbacks the company has put on the vehicle for the past several years.

Tesla has made several jumps in the Roadster project over the past few months, as it has ramped up hiring for the vehicle and also applied for a patent for a new seat design.

The car has been a back-burner project for Tesla, as it has been focusing primarily on autonomy and the rollout of Robotaxi and Cybercab. Additionally, its other vehicle projects, like the Model 3 and Model Y refreshes, took precedence.

Tesla still plans to unveil the Roadster next month, so we can hope the company can stick to this timeframe.

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Cybertruck

Elon Musk clarifies viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with driver logs

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

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Credit: Fox Business | Hilliard Law Firm

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clarified some details regarding the viral Tesla Cybertruck accident with company driver logs, which show various metrics at the time of an incident.

The logs have been used in the past to pull responsibility off of Tesla when the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) or Autopilot platforms are blamed for a collision or accident. It appears this will be no different.

On Tuesday, a video of a Cybertruck crashing into an overpass barrier in August 2025 was shared by Fox Business in a story that reported a woman was suing the automaker for $1 million in a liability and negligence case.

In the suit, Justine Saint Amour said that, “Something terrifying happened, without warning, the vehicle attempted to drive straight off an overpass.” Her attorney, Bob Hilliard, said Amour “tried to take control, but crashed into the barrier and was seriously injured (mostly her shoulder, neck, and back).”

The Tesla Model Y is leading China’s electric SUV segment by a wide margin

Tesla vehicle crashes are widely popular to report by mainstream media outlets because of the sensationalism of the event. Oftentimes, these outlets will include Tesla in the headline, especially because it will pique the interest of the masses, as most who read the story are waiting to see the claim that Autopilot or Full Self-Driving was the culprit of the accident.

However, Tesla has access to the logs of every vehicle in its fleet, which will show the various metrics, like whether either FSD or Autopilot was active, if the accelerator was pressed, the speed, and other important factors.

Musk has come out to say that the driver logs have already shown that the driver “disengaged Autopilot four seconds before crashing,” in a post on X.

If the logs do show this, which Tesla will likely have to prove in court, the real question would be why did the Amour disengage the suite?

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite is still not fully autonomous, meaning the driver cannot pull attention away from the road and must be ready to take over the vehicle at all times.

It will be interesting to see how this particular case pans out, especially considering the clip that was released by the law firm starts at about four seconds before the collision. Tesla logs have dispelled media reports in the past that have accused the company’s suite of being responsible for an accident, so there will be some major attention on what is proven in this particular case.

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Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city, and although the company has revealed plans to launch in six new metros this year, it has yet to establish a new location outside of Austin and the Bay Area of California, where it has operated since last Summer.

A lot full of Model Y vehicles was spotted in Henderson, a town just north of Las Vegas, but there seems to be more than just this hint indicating that the Sin City will be the next location to offer potentially driverless rides in a Tesla using its Full Self-Driving suite.

These Model Ys are not your typical vehicles, as they are fitted with hardware that is only on Robotaxis: a rear camera washer is the dead giveaway:

The photos and video of the lot were taken by TheZacher on X, who spotted the Model Y fleet in the Henderson parking lot.

The rear camera washer is the main piece of evidence here that indicates Tesla could be looking to expand Robotaxi to Las Vegas, a major ride-hailing hot spot, as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. Ride-sharing is a major industry in Vegas, especially for those who are staying off the Strip.

Tesla has also been extremely transparent that Vegas is on its radar for the Robotaxi fleet, as it revealed last year that it was one of five new U.S. cities that it planned to launch the ride-hailing service in this year.

Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

The others were Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.

Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.

It will also give Tesla a new benchmark against rival company Waymo, which has operated in Las Vegas for some time.

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